


In Sickness and In Health

by Narf



Category: Person Of Interest - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Blindness, Healing, Help, In which Fusco is the real hero in this story., M/M, rinch, sick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-04
Updated: 2013-05-31
Packaged: 2017-11-23 14:49:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/623352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narf/pseuds/Narf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to 'Sick'. Reese tries to stop a Number, but he fails and looses something he never thought. </p><p>(I should really get better at Summaries)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Français available: [Dans la maladie comme dans la santé](https://archiveofourown.org/works/768987) by [Aulie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aulie/pseuds/Aulie)



> Big thanks to Gumbycan for being an awesome beta!

**~POI~**

It's been two weeks since Finch took care of Reese, neither was budging about their feelings or their strange 'I love you' dreams, to be honest they have been mostly quiet and reclusive (if that was even possible for Finch to be more than he is!); only meeting when a 'Number' came up.

Their current Number has lead them to a warehouse, name of Jacob Watson, 33 years old and his current profession consisted of smuggling illegal firearms to the local gangs of New York. His smuggling has come to the point of getting attention from local police and Reese, not wanting the illegal firearms to kill an innocent, decided to use a direct approach, with a paper trail chased courtesy of Mr. Finch.

He was making his way around the warehouse, making a mental map on the place. He had noticed only one door that lead inside the warehouse,there was another out the back but it was blocked by boxes and trash, so there was only one way in and one way out. He had heard Watson say that he was expecting a shipment tonight, though Reese didn't really want to come again tonight, but a chance like this wouldn't come again for a while and he didn't want any innocent people getting hurt by these people. He double checked around the warehouse, noticing every little detail that could come in handy for tonight. Finishing his round he went back to the city, but he never noticed a pair of eyes that watched his every move.

**~POI~**

The figure watched as Reese drove away from the warehouse, and once he was sure that he was alone, he quickly ran inside. Once inside he ran towards the room farthest from the door, stopped to catch his breath, and knocked. Once allowed inside, he told his boss what he saw.

"A black car huh?" he asked, the other man nodded.

"Hmm, well then, looks like we will have a guest tonight. Everything will go as planned, the shipment will arrive tonight, and I want nothing to disrupt. You hear me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You, take care of the people coming for the shipment, and leave the guest to me. Go."

"Yes, sir." he answered as he left.

'Probably a rookie cop' Watson thought, 'No matter, we will make him disappear.'.

**~POI~**

After leaving the warehouse Reese went to the Library, to report what he had saw and heard.

"So he's expecting a shipment tonight? Do you have any idea who the buyer is?" Finch asked.

"No, but we can just crash the party and catch them both." Reese smiled.

"Would you need help in that regard? I think it would be best if both detectives would also assist?" he suggested.

Cases like these made Finch nervous. There could be any possible outcome and worst case scenario is finding Reese dead. He quickly shut that thought away. If Reese died then Finch would have nothing left.

The Numbers helped, but only for so much.

Before he would bear all the weight of the Numbers, but now with Reese, the weight was easier to bear. Nobody had the moral compass Reese had, he can always find the skills Reese had, but there wasn't another Reese in this world.

"Maybe," Reese said after some thought.

Reese could have sworn a look of concern flashed across Finch's face, but he quickly shook it away. Ever since he was sick, he's been thinking about the three little words Finch (or his mind making things up) had told him. He's wanted to talk to Finch about it, but he didn't want to risk anything with the smaller man; staying quiet is the best course of action for them both.

"I'll let them know about it when you get there?" Finch offered. He knew Reese would want to get ready for tonight, and calling the detectives now would prove useless and unwanted tension for all of them.

Nodding, Reese left the library. A quick nap and gathering his weapons would help clear his mind and relax for a few hours.

**~POI~**

It was 5 o'clock when Reese reported back to the library, He and Finch decided that having the phone on while Reese went in would be best, Watson might reveal a bit more that could be used as evidence against him.

"Alright, Finch, I'm heading out," Reese looked over his shoulder. "Call Carter and Fusco when I'm done with Watson".

"Of course, Mr. Reese." Finch said.

For some odd reason he had a feeling that something is going to happen. No matter what he couldn't shake it off. 'There's no reason to be worried', he thought as he saw Reese walk out, 'he'll be fine, he's been in tougher situations than this'.

God he hoped he was right.

**~POI~**

Reese had arrived at the warehouse but decided to park a bit far off to not get any unwanted attention. He waited in the car until nighttime had fallen, and a truck was heard from a distance. He got out quickly and headed towards the warehouse. He noticed the back door had been cleared and he looked inside. Seeing no one around he quietly slipped inside as the semi pulled in. He made sure the phone was on and his earpiece was in place.

He hid behind the big boxes and looked around. He now needed to come up with an escape plan. Ten men were in the warehouse, including the boss, and three from the semi. 'Alright, I can do this'. If the boss walked a bit closer to him he could use the boss to make the others give themselves up. He stayed hidden for a good five minutes. Each passing minute he grew, more and more, excited and frustrated. He wanted to get this over with. He wanted to talk to Finch about his dreams and tell Finch his feelings. It'd been two weeks since he heard Finch (or at least he thought it was Finch) say those words and nearly a month since he said such words to Finch.

He noticed the sudden reclusiveness and the 'number only' meetings. Though he will admit, that he also had been doing the same things, he had enough. He didn't want to admit his feelings when Finch got sick again, nor did he want to imagine Finch admitting his own. That is if he loves him. He doubts it, but at least he'll be able to rest more peacefully, knowing each other's feelings.

He continued to think when he felt cool metal pressing against his head. Reese closed his eyes, damn it when had he gone sloppy? He was careful to come inside, his car was at least half-mile away, so where did he go wrong?

"Get up" a gruff voice was heard.

Reese did as told. He was heavily outnumbered, not to mention they had more ammunition than him, this was bad and he didn't need to make it worse. Luckily for him Finch heard and started to call the detectives. "Help is on the way, Mr. Reese" Finch reassured.

"We have a guest boss." the man said as he and Reese go closer to the group.

"Ah. Thought we saw someone earlier, guess it was not just our imagination." Watson said. Reese shrugged, he'll try to drag this out as long as possible. Long enough for Carter and Fusco to arrive.

"So. Who are you and what do you want?" Watson asked.

"A concerned third party." Reese replied sheepishly.

"Funny guy." Watson laughed, "but that doesn't explain what you are doing here."

"Heard you were the one to contact if I wanted some guns, thought of dropping by."

"Right. Right. And, uh, who told you this?"

"Someone Around." Reese's reply earned him a hit in the gut. He groaned in pain as he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.

"Well, I don't seem to remember you. They usually tell me who's coming" Watson wondered, rubbing his chin. "So you'll tell us, who told you about me, or I'll just kill you right now." he ordered. Watson was a careful man, with trusted contacts. His contacts' always told him about potential buyers and one coming up out of the blue roused the utmost suspicion.

"I told you 'Someone around', they don't want to be known." Reese tried to reason.

Watson didn't believe him and was getting tired of playing around. He nodded towards the man behind Reese. "Knock him out, we've been compromised." he commanded.

Reese looked up at Watson again, only to feel a sharp pain behind his head and the darkness overtook him.

"Let's move! We'll go to the safe house and we'll finish the deal there." he said, looking at an unconscious Reese.

"Boss, what about the cargo here?"

"Burn it. The cops might come and we can't leave any evidence inside. Leave him here; the last thing we need is a witness."

Watson ordered one of his men to go with the semi while he and the others soaked the place with gasoline.

When they were almost done with soaking the place, they heard sirens. Watson smirked. He may have been caught, but it would be pointless since the evidence the cops had needed will have be destroyed.

There was only one car with two cops. A female and a male both came out, guns drawn.

"Stop right there!" the female cop said, "You're under arrest."

"I don't think so, cop. This place is soaked with gasoline, and it would take a matter of minutes for this place to burn to the ground." he said as he lit a lighter. "So I think we are a standoff. You let me go and ignore all of this, or try to arrest me while I burn the only evidence you could use against me."

"I can't do that." the female said.

"Suit yourself." Watson let go of the lighter and the place was up in flames in a matter of seconds.

Both detectives quickly covered up as the heat quickly reached towards them. Watson made a run for it, along with his subordinates. The female detective quickly chased after him as the male ran inside the warehouse.

**~POI~**

When Finch heard Reese getting caught, he immediately called the detectives. After that he called and reassured Reese that they were on their way. He listened to Reese's interrogation and hoped that the detectives reached him in time.

When he heard Reese being knocked out he couldn't help but cry out. After calling him a couple more times, he contacted the detectives again.

"We're almost there, Harold" Carter said.

"I know, but I think John is in serious trouble. He's not answering, and I'm afraid something might be happening."

"John will be fine; he's too stubborn to be taken down like this." Carter assured him, but Finch had already hung up.

Finch was grateful for Carter's reassurance, but the nagging feeling he had felt all day hadn't left him. He'd be more useful to Reese out there than in here. He quickly got up from his chair, got in his town car, and left to assist Reese in whatever way possible.

**~POI~**

He arrived shortly, making sure he didn't pass any red lights and drove along the less busy streets, only for find Reese on the ground; Fusco on top of him trying to find a pulse.

'Oh God' he thought as he looked. 'please don't let it be. Please, God.' He silently begged. 'This can't be! This just can't be!'

As if sensing his presence Fusco looked up.

"Hey!" he called out, "he's unconscious, but alive. We need to get him out of here, before the others arrive.' Oh, thank God. But that didn't mean he was alright. That didn't matter for now, he was alive and he needed his help.'

"Ah, yes of course." Finch quickly got out of his trance and helped Fusco place Reese onto the backseat of his town car.

After seat-belting Reese, Finch turned to the detective. Barely now he could see how he looked. Fusco was covered in soot, a couple of burn marks in his face, and his suit had a couple of dark spots. He took a mental note to give him a new suit as a thank you. Before he could voice his thanks Fusco interrupted him.

"Let's get him out of here, first. You can thank us later." Carter already had Watson behind her car, and was currently waiting for backup to arrive. She and Fusco agreed to sen fusco to help Finch would need help with Reese, while she waited for backup.

Nodding, Finch decided that he would wait a little farther away from the inferno with Fusco while the others arrived. He knew he wouldn't be able to carry Reese on his own and needed whatever help he could get. Luckily for both of them, backup had arrived quickly and Fusco managed to slip away unnoticed.

**~POI~**

They arrived at one of Finch's safe houses, with a bit of struggle; they managed to get Reese in one of the bedrooms. Finch tried to take some clothes off of Reese, to allow a bit more room for breathing and to get him comfortable.

"Thank you Detective, I'll take it from here." Finch said. Though he was thankful for his help, he still felt that his privacy was being invaded. Getting the hint, Fusco decided to leave both men alone for the night.

"You're welcome. Do you have anyone to check on him?"

"I do. I'll call you and Detective Cater if anything happens." he reassured him and nodding, Fusco left. He would most likely be swarmed with questions, but it'll be worth it in the end. Reese has helped him greatly and it is only fair to return the favor.

As soon as Fusco left, Finch called Dr. Megan Tillman asking her to come and see Reese. Once assured that she would come, Finch got some towels and a bowl of warm water. He will try and clean him up; it'll be easier on both of them to check to see if there were any wounds that the soot and smoke had hidden.

Barely now he noticed how Reese smelled. It wasn't the musky oak smell that he loved so much, it was the gasoline and smoke smell that filled his nostrils. Finch, again, thought how lucky he was that the detectives were there to help Reese get out in time. He continued to clean Reese when Dr. Tillman arrived.

Megan wasted no time in checking on Reese. This man saved her from doing something she would have regretted, and she wanted to return the favor by helping them any way she could. She noticed his labored breathing, so she checked his lungs first.

"His breathing is labored, but that's because he inhaled a lot of smoke. He'll be needing oxygen for a few hours; I'll bring it by once I'm done. He doesn't look like he has any broken bones." she said as she checked his body. When she began feeling Reese's head, she felt a bump behind his head. Concerned, she lifted his head gently. She noticed the bump was slightly big, and might affect him when he wakes up.

"Everything seems fine, but the bump in the head concerns me. I'll bring an oxygen tank to help him breathe better and get most of the smoke out of his lungs." She left Finch with a list of things to do once Reese woke up and he called in his bodyguards to pick up the supplies he needed on said list.

Once Tillman came back with the medical oxygen mask and tank; and showed Finch how to properly use it. She also requested that Finch to call once Reese woke up, so she would be able to check him better and assess the damage was done upon him. Finch promised that he would call and thanked her, and then Megan left.

Finch made himself some tea, and changed his three piece suit to a clean t-shirt and grey pants, and sat besides Reese. All night long he would take a quick shut eye for a few minutes to check on him.

**~POI~**

Finch kept his vigil over Reese for the next couple of days. As promised he called both detectives on the update of the missing 'man in a suit'. He never left Reese's side and was starting to worry if Reese would wake up again. 'Wouldn't be surprised if he slept for a couple more days' he thought, finally relaxing, knowing that Reese's body needed the rest. The man was very active; even when he was injured he moved a lot. This is only way his body would get the proper rest it needed. Otherwise he would be asking for a case and/or corrupting Fusco while he's at it too. Another quick glance at the sleeping figure, Finch went back to reading the book he held in his hand.

Another half hour passed, then Reese started to stir. Finch quickly set his book aside, and neared the taller man.

Reese slowly opened his eyes, looking around. His hands started to move, feeling everything around him. His eyes started to move quickly, hands feeling everything, his breathing became short and labored. Wait, something is not right.

" ? John, you're okay. You're safe" he said as he took the oxygen mask off and closing off the oxygen tank.

"Finch?" Reese's voice was raspy. "Harold, where am I? Where are you?"

"You're in one of the safe houses. I'm right here, John" Finch's voice was trembling. Something was definitely wrong.

"Where? How come everything is white?"

"Here, John, I'm right in front of you. Nothing's white. John how many fingers am I holding up?" He held three fingers up in front of Reese.

"I don't know. Fi - Fin - Finch. Harold, I can't see you." Finch was getting more and more afraid that the damage was more than he originally thought.

"What do you mean?"

**~POI~**

When Reese started to come around, he was surprised to find himself comfortable. He felt tired and exhausted. He just wanted to lie there for a while and relax. Unfortunately his instincts didn't let him relax for long; he needed to know where he was and what happened to Watson.

He opened his eyes, but didn't see anything. Nothing but white. He moved his hands, trying to feel everything around him.

When he heard Finch, he relaxed. Okay so he's safe. Good. Good. But that didn't explain why he couldn't see Finch, or anything for that matter. He got scared, 'no' he thought, 'this can't be'. He can't be, sure he took a blow in the head, but that was hardly anything. Maybe Finch put something over his eyes.

When Finch asked him how many fingers he was holding up, he realized he didn't have anything on top of his eyes. He was blind.

"I can't see you. Harold, I'm blind."

**~POI~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Gumbycan for beta and the suggestions :).

**~POI~**

"Mr. Reese are you sure?" Finch was in denial. Reese blind? How? The man can take a bullet –literally- and still run.

"Finch, I can't see anything but white!" Reese exclaimed. He was surprised as well. John knew how to handle every possible situation, anything, except being without sight. He was scared but did not dare voice it, he didn't want to show weakness in front of Finch, The shorter man already scared and John didn't want to add his emotions to weight on Finch's shoulders.

"Let me get you some water. You've been asleep for two days and you must be getting thirsty" Finch reached over the nightstand for the pitcher and cup. Pouring some water into a glass he then placed the glass carefully into Reese's hand which he drank from greedily. He thanked Finch while passing the cup back to him.

"It must be temporary, Mr. Reese. I'll call to come and check you over." he said as he got his cell phone out. Once he made the call, Reese asked what had happened from when Finch lost connection with Reese to where they were now.

Finch recalled the previous two days as Reese listen closely.

"That's how you've woke up here. This house was closer than your apartment and I - _we_ couldn't risk losing you." he quickly corrected himself before Reese might have caught onto his words.

The doorbell rang and Finch left to open the door. Though Reese would never voice it out loud, he had caught Finch's quick correction. What was he going to say? That he couldn't lose him? If that was the case, why? For sure Finch had a long list of candidates before settling with him. Maybe Finch had a backup, in case anything happened to him. After all he could be replaced where as Finch could not. Only he knew how to access the Machine, and how to receive the Numbers.

He quickly put away any thoughts as soon as he heard come in, Finch following closely.

"Hello John." Megan greeted, John smiled, "Heard you needed some help".

"Hello Megan." the older man greeted back. "Yeah, seems that I bit off more than I could chew."

"Let's check you over."

"You have a nasty bump in the head, but first I want to check these burns first" she looked him over, her fingers carefully touching his body. Everything seemed fine so far. His body was just fine, but he would need some more rest, his lungs have improved and there was no need for an oxygen tank anymore. Then she checked the bump on his head.

"It looks a bit swollen, so it may take some time for it to go down. I suggest full bed rest for the next couple of weeks; and no sudden moments either."

"Doctor, there is another thing." Finch started.

"Yes? What is this thing?" Megan turned to Finch.

"He can't see."

'Oh no' she thought, exactly what she had feared when she saw his bump two days prior, but she had hoped those instincts were wrong.

"Let's see" she took out a little flashlight and pointed it into Reese's eyes. Normal papillary reaction, just as she had feared.

"Okay John what do you see?" she asked as she opened his eye a bit more.

"White" he responded.

"Just white?" she looked at the bump again, Reese hissed when she touched it. It was still tender, swollen and his eyesight gone. 'Cortical Blindness' she thought.

"John, how hard where you hit?"

"Hard enough to knock me out"

"Okay. How many times then?"

"About 4 or 5. But they were different times, and they were long periods of time between each."

"Doesn't matter how long apart they are, John. You've been hit one too many times, and this last one was just enough to cause this"

"So what is _this_?" Finch asked, fearing for the worst.

"This is Cortical Blindness" she said, "it's is caused by infection, asphyxia, brain maldevelopment, or in this case severe brain injury."

"Cortical Blindness?" Finch repeated. Well it can't be all that bad; Reese's blindness would last only for a limited time.

"Yes, unfortunately there isn't a lot of research on it, so I'm afraid I can't tell you anything else."

"So I'll be fine? How long will it take before I regain my eyesight?" John asked. He heard of it before, a couple of times a fellow soldier in the units he served in would receive such brain damage and they would lose their eyesight for a few weeks and then it would come right back.

Megan sighed. This is not going to be easy for her to say. The amount of times John has taken a blow to the head and the swelling on his head…

"It could take from a couple of months, possibly never return"

"What?" both men said.

"I'm afraid so. You took a lot of blows to that spot, and it looks like you didn't get any time for your brain to heal and recover from tissue swelling. There is no telling if it will heal properly or if you can ever get your vision back."

"Is there anything we can do, Doctor?" Finch asked. He hoped there was. He knew Reese loved being active and this could crush his spirit.

"Only rest and hope. I can check on his progress in a couple of weeks to see. Have an MRI or a Cat Scan." She walked towards the door, Finch followed closely behind her.

"Thank you, Doctor" he said.

"You're welcome. I'm sorry I couldn't be of any more help." she said sadly.

"It's alight. You did what you could."

"Call me if anything changes. Oh, and I left some painkillers for him to take, they'll help the inflammation too"

Finch nodded, and went back inside the house.

He could see Reese's knuckles were turning white. 'He's not taking this well' Finch felt his heart break. Such a strong man like him, taken down to this.

**~POI~**

Reese was distraught.

_He could take anything and keep going, but this? This? The fact that he being wounded is bad, but being blind? He might as well be in the open with a target on his back!_

_Him being blind meant having to rely on others for help. It was okay, he thought, someone else helping could turn out fine. But John being blind also meant having to stay on the sidelines and not being able to help Finch with the 'numbers'._

_What if Finch needed his help because their cops couldn't do anything? What if Finch went out in the field instead of him and wound up getting hurt as well? What if – STOP! His mind screamed. He should know better than this. Finch always had a contingency, a back up plan, surely he had someone else in mind before bringing him into the fold._

_Then that also meant Finch hiring someone else, Spending time with them, talking to them. God, he shouldn't be jealous. They had a working relationship, nothing else. Why would it matter if Finch hired someone else? He probably would have done so if he was killed._

_He might as well quit. Dr. Tillman said that his sight might not come back. Quit now he thought, quit now and forget about him, quit now and you'll never see him again. Yes, better never seeing him again would be better than being extra 'dead' weight on Finch, Finch has enough weight on the Numbers there was no need to add his disability to Finch's responsibilities._

He heard Finch coming into the room.

"She left some painkillers for you" Finch said as he sat down the chair next to the bed.

Reese was silent.

" ?"

"…."

"Mr. Reese? John? Everything is going to be alright" Finch tried to sound confident, but his voiced had failed him. God, he hated to see such a strong man fall like this.

"Finch, before you hired me, did you have a list of others to hire?"

"Before you? Yes. But none of them came close to your qualifications."

"Well, I think you might make some exceptions."

"Why?"

"Because I don't think I will be able help you anymore."

"Mr. Reese, what brought this on?"

"What brought this on Finch is that I may never help you again! I just had to go in there. I just had to go in there without backup."

"John. You could not have known Watson was expecting you, nor could we have known he was as heavily guarded as he was."

"Well it happened, Finch! You might as well hire someone else!"

"John, everything will be alright. You just -"

"Alright? Alright? Finch, you heard what she said."

"Yes, she said that you should get your sight back in a few weeks"

"Should. Or never get my vision back, ever!"

"All you need is some more rest John. Only two days have gone by since it happened"

"I know that Finch, but the sooner we both accept the fact that I may never see again, the sooner you get help with the 'numbers'."

"No John. We just need to have a little more faith -"

"Faith? Faith? Faith is not going to get my eyesight back, Harold! I fucking quit!" Reese seethed. Not the way he wanted to tell his boss, but it would be easier on both of them if they acknowledge it now.

Finch couldn't believe Reese. He's quitting? Even after finding out he may have a chance, sure it seemed less likely, but it was a chance nonetheless.

"The John Reese I knew would never quit." he said as he got up the chair and went to the door.

"The John Reese you knew is now gone." he said just before Finch closed the door.

**~POI~**

Reese was trembling. John couldn't believe he said what he had to Harold. Now he felt guilty yelling at the man who had given him a second chance.

"Come back, Finch. Please, come back" he whispered. He didn't bother to stop the tears from coming down. Painfully, he lifted is knees and rested is face against them. His hands were gripping the sheets.

He continued sobbing until he fell asleep.

**~POI~**

Finch, standing behind the closed door, couldn't believe he heard his operative say such thing.

_Him? Quit because he couldn't see? He should have known better, Reese could only handle so much, and this was probably his breaking point. He wouldn't blame him though, but he was still shocked and angry that Reese would every say such a thing._

_He placed his hand over his eyes. He knew that Reese was speaking of anger, frustration, and a broken heart. It explained his negativity of the situation. But he won't look for someone else to take over Reese's job and most certainly he would not leave Reese. Reese had helped him all this time and it was only fair that he returns the favor now._

_When he heard Reese cry, his heart ached. Harold wanted so desperately go through that door and assure john that he would never leave him, but right now it would be best to leave him alone. Let the storm pass over and deal with the damage done later. Then they could concentrate on what they could do, it won't be easy, but if Reese never gets his eyesight back then they can at least say they tried. If he did, then all the trouble would have been worth it._

He needed to update the detectives on the situation.

**~POI~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C'mon guys, we all knew John's hit in the head would give him this.
> 
> Sorry if it wasn't so angsty as you would have liked. As for those who would like to know why I chose white instead of black for Reese's blindness: Blindness is not darkness, it has no set color. When you start to lose your vision, it starts by making everything blurry. Kind of like how you cry and everything becomes blurry. It's a bit like that except that in time everything becomes more and more blurry. Hope that explains certain things.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks Gumbycan!!

**~POI~**

Lionel Fusco wasn't a man of many words. He usually did what he was told and what was expected of him. Though, he did start to speak up much more than he ever did since meeting the Man-in-a-Suit.

Ever since he came into his life things have been hell, to say the least. He always called, made Lionel run errands, hell he had even saved John's life! But this hell have made into a pathway to his redemption. Somehow, someway, Mr. Wonderboy had him doing good things. Things that he can say he was proud of doing. Proud to be someone his son can look up to. He noticed that when he was in the forest, when he was ready to die. Instead, Reese came in just in time to save him. He knew then and there that he was doing good. That he was making a difference. That he didn't have to be a dirty cop anymore. And for that he was grateful that both Wonderboy and Mr. Vocabulary came into his life, and made him start anew.

Not that he will ever admit to them.

_Now he was worried for Reese. Sure he got hurt nearly every time they saw each other, but this time something told him that Reese got more than what he bargained for. For starters he didn't think when Finch called them, that they would meet someone crazy enough to light a building up. (Okay, he can name a few, but still that man was crazy!). When Carter ran for the guy, he immediately ran inside. It was foolish he thought, Reese would have probably gotten out by now. If he was then Fusco had a good complaint waiting for him._

_He thought of what he would tell the taller man as he looked around. He looked around the building. Nothing. When he looked at the middle, he saw him. On the floor knocked out, and the fire nearing his unconscious body. He quickly placed his gun away and ran towards Reese. He wasn't moving at all, Fusco feared for the worst, but couldn't stay long to confirm. The fire was getting closer, and they needed to get out. He placed an arm around him, Fusco dragged him outside. Only when they were a good distance away did he gently lay him down and properly check on him. He had a pulse 'good' a weak one, but a pulse, nonetheless._

_Carter managed to catch up with the psycho, and Finch had arrived. Fusco had to yell at him to get him back to reality, luckily for him, Finch did. They managed to get him in the town car, and away from the scene. He then helped Finch get him inside a house and into a bedroom. The entire time he was helping he couldn't help but notice how the smaller man looked at Reese. It wasn't those 'I'm worried about you' looks; it was the type of a love-sick person, who is too shy about admitting their feelings. But he won't get into that matter, not right now at least. Right now Reese is injured and needed some help, when he asked Finch said that he did have someone and he thanked him. Knowing a good 'get out' when he heard one, Fusco then left. If Finch needed anything he would call them._

Carter came with her phone in her ear, mentioning him to come with her. "It's Finch" she said. That was good enough reason to get up and out of the precinct, with the excuse of getting something to eat, she left. Once out and about a block away from the precinct, she placed her cell onto speakerphone.

"Okay, Finch we're here." she assured.

" _First of all, I want to thank you both for rescuing John. Second, he just woke up -"_

"So soon? But what about his injuries?" Carter interrupted.

" _I'm quite surprised as you are, Detective, but he is fine. Mostly."_

"Mostly? What the hell happened to him?" Fusco asked.

" _Let's just say he will be unavailable for quite awhile. Do either of you two have the next few days off?"_

"I do, why?" Fusco answered. His son will be visiting relatives, and he had nothing else to do, and nowhere to go.

" _Can you meet me at the place where John currently resides, Detective Fusco? I would stay, but I need to do few things."_

"Uh sure. What time?"

" _As early as possible. Thank you, Detective."_

"You're Welcome"

A click and the end of the line could be heard soon afterwards. Both Detectives looked at each other.

"Wonder what happened to him?" Carter wandered.

"Beats me. Now that were outside, want to go and get something to eat?"

"Yeah, sure."

**~POI~**

Fusco arrived at the safe house, wondering why he was needed to babysit Reese. Surely the taller man can take care of himself, despite his injuries. Maybe Finch was too scared that he would be up and about, so he wanted someone to keep an eye on him.

"Detective Fusco, thank you for coming" Finch led the detective inside.

"Welcome. So what do you need me for?"

"Mr. Reese sustained an injury; he's not taking it well."

"Injury? What kind of injury?"

"One that requires some research, Detective"

"So you're gonna do some research?"

"Yes. Unfortunately my research would take me away from here, so you see why I need your help"

"Sure, but what kind of injury is it?"

"He's blind, detective. It seems he was hit too many times in the head, the last hit was too much for his brain."

"Ouch. So that's your research?"

"Yes. I have to go now, Detective. He's on the second door to your left. Thank You" Finch went to gather his coat, "Oh and detective? I noticed you did not bring any sort of entertainment, so please do make yourself at home" and with that he left.

Fusco stood there for a few minutes. So Reese is blind. For a minute he couldn't believe the man who turned his life upside down, was blind. He had to see this for himself, there was just no way that this man had come down to this.

Going to the room he was told, he half expected Reese be up and about, saying something about him being in HR and the progress they have been making. Instead he sees Reese in the bed, sitting up.

"Who's there?" Reese asked, his head faced the door. His eyes were bandaged up. His hair was a bit disheveled, and he was shirtless.

"Who the fuck is there, Goddamit?" Reese growled. He could sense someone in the room, but his injuries would make him a perfect target.

"Hey, easy it's me" Fusco assured, still surprised to see him like this.

"Lionel? What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Glasses asked me to come and babysit you while he goes and do some research." he sat in the chair that was next to the bed.

"Research? I told him to leave." Reese whispered, gripping the sheets again. Why? Why would Finch stick around? He was useless to him; he served no purpose as long as he is blind. He can't help with the Numbers anymore. So why?

"Want to tell me what happened yesterday?" Fusco asked.

"That's none of your business, Lionel."

"No, but sure as hell it will make you feel better talking about rather than keeping it inside."

When Reese didn't answer, Fusco tried again. Knowing that he is stuck with the detective, Reese told what happened the day before.

"So that's it?" Fusco asked after Reese told him everything. Reese didn't bother to say anything.

"You're giving up?"

"I just told you, Lionel. Why would Finch need me around for? Thanks to this head injury, I'm blind."

"I just didn't see you as the type to give up so easily. You're always fightin', you know."

"Given the circumstances, Lionel, I think it's time to throw in the towel."

"You maybe, but for Mr. Glasses? No."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that you may have given up on yourself, but he hasn't. He's still fighting for you, trying to see if there is any chance to get your eyesight back. "

"Why try when you know it will all be in vain, Lionel. Admit it now, before you end up getting your hopes crushed. "

"How do you if you haven't tried?"

"Lionel –"

"No you listen to me, buddy. When you blackmailed me, I gave you all the reasons to kill me. But you didn't. Instead you gave me more chances and I deserved and never gave up on me. You've helped me become a better man, someone for my son to look up to. Now it's your turn. You may have given up on yourself, but Glasses hasn't. And I won't either."

"…"

"I know the doc said the chances are slim, but it's still a chance to get it back. The question is: do you want to take that chance? If you didn't get your eyesight back, you can at least say you tried. If you did, then this would have been all worth it. Think about that for a while, I'm going to get something to eat." Fusco got up and left the room.

**~POI~**

Reese just sat there. How dare Fusco tell him this? What does he know about chances? He's a corrupt cop, who made a bad deal with his former partner.

_But you did give him a chance. You got him to work for you, to help you with the 'numbers'. Hell, he even saved your life! Sure, he gave you as much reason to kill him, but you just gave him a warning and a chance. You never gave up on him, and he came back to helping you and saving your life. (Even though he tends to complain once in a while). You had given him a reason to be a clean cop, to be someone his son could look up to._

So why is it so hard to get that small chance?

_Because I'm afraid. Afraid that I will never see again. To see the world again. To see helping the people i save. To never see him again. Never see Finch. Never see the look on his face when he tries to surprise him, or to annoy him._

That is what he was afraid of. He was so scared when Megan told them about the injury and the consequences, that he was already admitting defeat. Accept it now or be heartbroken. That was easier for him. Easier than go through months of rest, and testing, only to find that there is nothing they could do.

Then again this could be a temporary thing.

Dammit, he let Fusco into his brain. But in his defense he did have a point. How can he quit now when he didn't even try? And he won't be alone in this. He didn't know if Carter knew about his situation, but in the meantime he had Fusco and Finch. Finch? Finch!

Oh God, Finch. How could have he been so stupid and yell at him? He covered his face with his hands. He needed to apologize to him. That'll be the first thing he'll do when he comes in. _If he comes in here at all_ , he thought sadly. Not that he would blame him if Finch avoided him. He did yell at him pretty harsh, and he quitting was not helping either. He'll try, though. When they are both alone, he'll try.

He heard Fusco come back.

"Here, made some hotdogs. Should be something easy for you to handle" he placed the plate in front of Reese. Then he helped place a hand on top of the hot dog when he saw Reese's hands trying to locate the plate.

Reese gave a short laugh. This was also going to get some used to. Getting help from others, but he was glad that there was someone there to help him.

"Thanks Fusco" he took a bite.

"You're welcome."

**~POI~**

Reese and Fusco chatted for a while. When Reese wanted to rest, the cop would leave the room. He would come and check on him once in a while. Now that he had a will to get his eyesight back, he was only more than happy to help.

When he heard the front door open and close he knew that Finch had returned. Only Finch and Fusco knew the location, and Fusco wouldn't have left him. A soft chat could be heard but with the door almost shut it was impossible to make out what they were saying. The sound of the door opening and closing signaled that someone had left.

When he heard uneven steps coming down the hallway, he knew it was Finch who stayed and Fusco left for the …. Whatever time of the day it was.

"Finch?" he called out.

"Yes, Mr. Reese?"

"Can we talk?" he asked. Uncertain if his boss would want to talk to him right now.

Finch was surprised that he wanted to talk to him. For sure, he thought, he would want to avoid him at all costs. But if he wanted to talk, he won't deny his request. He also wanted to talk to his employee.

"Of course, Mr. Reese"

**~POI~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for Fusco! Let's have some Lionel Fusco appreciation Chapter. Though I don't think something like this may happen on the show, I would want for Fusco to give advice or knock some sense to Reese. Something like that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gumbycan FTW!!!

**~POI~**

_One day later_

"Finch, may I ask you something?" Reese asked.

"You already did, but you can ask another" Finch answered.

"How does one become blind? I mean do you lose sight of color or all together or -?" Reese was still trying to accept the fact that he can't see and it might be that way for a while. Asking someone about it, might help get some of the sadness and the feel of helplessness away.

"When I started to wear glasses, Mr. Reese, everything was blurry. I could make out the shapes and objects just fine, but I need a bit more help."

When Reese didn't say anything, he continued.

"You lose your sight slowly; everything becomes more blurry to the point that you don't know what you're seeing in front of you, even if it is mere inches away from your face"

"Did that happened to you?"

"Not yet, thankfully. I had a good diet that allowed me to keep some of my vision, so I can still see fairly even without my glasses." (A/N: See bottom if you would like to understand the above.)

"…"

"Mr. Reese, I know this is all new to you, but you can't give up. Dr. Tillman said that this can be temporary. You should use the time to fully recover. Later on, I can help you move around."

"I don't need -"

"Yes, you do, John. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness." Knowing that it was true, Reese felt relief. He wasn't alone in this, and Finch already offered to help him. Maybe he should also use this time to increase his other senses. He could already make out a few noises that he would normally ignore. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

"Thank you, Harold" Reese lied back down. His body is still tired from all these cases, and some of the bruises still needed more time to heal.

"You're Welcome, John"

During their talk yesterday, Reese apologized for his behavior. Finch said that there was no need for apologies since Reese only acted out of anger, sadness, and frustration. When Reese told him he wanted to try to get his eyesight back, Finch immediately agreed.

" _And what brought this positive view of the situation, Mr. Reese?"_

" _Fusco knocked some sense into me"_

" _It's funny. It only took a corrupt cop turned good to tell you this"_

"…"

" _I did tell you that he was going to bite you back"_

_Reese groaned._

Reese pretended to sleep. Now that Finch was here, he couldn't help but wonder. Could Finch be helping him because he felt more than friendship for him? Could it be possible for Finch to want him? To love him? A monster?

Dammit, Fusco got into his head again. A little while after they began to talk, Fusco mentioned something about Finch having feelings for him.

" _So are you two together?"_

" _Together?"_

" _Yeah, like a couple."_

" _We're not. What gave you the idea?"_

" _I've seen the way he looks at you. You sure?"_

" _Last time I checked, Lionel, Finch and I are friends. And what did you mean 'looks at me'?"_

" _Hmm, coulda fooled me. Well, he got into that warehouse, he was afraid. Not the kind of 'scared shitless', it was the 'I-love-you-too-much-don't-die' kind of fear."_

" _And what do you know about love?"_

_Fusco gave a short laugh. "Look, I may be divorced, but I know a thing or two about being in love. And I think you know what I mean, too"_

_Great first he says to give this a chance and now he's getting a lesson about being in love._

" _I don't think he does, Fusco."_

" _Oh I think he does, buddy."_

' _You wouldn't understand.' he thought. There were a lot of reason why Finch wouldn't want him, and if he was honest he wouldn't want himself either. Who would want him? If they heard what he has done, they would run away in fear, never to be near him again._

" _I rest my case." Fusco said smugly. Reese didn't bother to argue, and now he was growing tired and sleepy._

_Noticing this Fusco made an excuse to get out of the room, but they both knew it was to let Reese sleep._

He wanted to ask Finch, but again he was afraid. If he asked him now, would he say no? If he did then he would be disgusted by him and then working again would be awkward. Finch would keep a bigger distance from him and that is what Reese couldn't bear. He took this long to get close to Finch; he didn't want to ruin it by telling him he was in love. If he said yes, would it be out of pity? Out of sympathy that he was blind? God, he didn't want that. He wanted Finch to be with him because he wanted to, not because he felt sorry for him. Again, he was afraid to ask.

Fear. That is something he rarely felt, but thanks to his injury he began feeling it more and more. But he'll do what his father taught him: 'There is nothing to fear but fear itself. If you are afraid, overcome it.' That's what he'll do: overcome fear. He'll ask Finch, but not right now. Right now he'll concentrate all his energy to recover, and find possible ways to get his eyesight back. Soon he fell asleep. Too tired to continue thinking, and with Finch by his side, he was safe.

**~POI~**

When Finch heard that Reese wanted to try to get his eyesight back Harold was thrilled. He knew Reese would want to try eventually, but he didn't think it would be this soon. When he asked about his change on the situation, he replied that " Fusco knocked some sense to me". 'Well, then' he thought, 'I might give Detective Fusco a little thank you gift.' A couple of tickets to a Rangers or Giants game would be pretty nice.

Today he began asking about losing one's eyesight, though it may have been a bit awkward, he figured that he's just trying to grasp the concept. He then offered to help Reese to move around the house once he had recovered. When Reese tried to refuse, he only reminded him that he was not alone, and asking for help was certainly not a sign of weakness.

He could hear him sleep. Deep, slow steady breathing defined by the slow rise and fall of his chest. Knowing Reese would want to get up tomorrow Finch tried to prepare to convince him to stay in bed for a tiny bit longer. He knew it will be a long and hard work, but he hoped in the end it will be all worth it.

John Reese is back and ready to work.

**~POI~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do forgive that it is a short chapter. I just wanted something for our boys to have some R&R before they start on anything.
> 
> Okay so I may have gotten my betta confused on the first part of the chapter. What I mean to put there is that though Reese may be blind, he could find comfort of knowing the experience, and how one deals with it. Even if Finch is wearing glasses this is one other thing they could both relate. Kind of how one tends to have a little accident and wants to tell the story with others with similar accident. Hope that made sense…


	5. Chapter 5

**~POI~**

"There you go, Mr. Reese, you're almost there!" Finch encouraged Reese, who was walking down the hallway.

Finch had managed to convince Reese to rest for a week. But the taller man was already restless on his fourth day. So Finch asked Reese to help him learn a new language. It worked for the rest of the week, but still Reese got what Finch had so affection ally called the "Antsy Dance". Now that the ex-op has had his rest, he wanted to know the layout of the house.

At first he had Finch's help in going from room to room, going through every nook and cranny of the house. He would bump into things, and occasionally stub his toe, but when offered to have the things removed he declined. It was better for him to bump into things right now, so later on he would know where he could walk more or less.

Walking down the hallway, Finch found it easier for him to encourage Reese during this time. Reese still felt helpless with his eyesight gone, but if he could walk around the house without his sight, then it would be a huge accomplishment for both men.

What surprised Finch most is how easily Reese trusted him in guidance. Sure, he trusted him with his life, but somehow this felt even more. Blind and helpless, Reese at first was reluctant to move more than a mere few inches with each step, but after a few more minutes he began to take bigger steps. With Finch on one side and a hand on the wall Reese had managed to walk through half of the house in one day.

"How do you feel?" Finch asked.

"Accomplished and tired. Mostly tired, though" Reese replied. He did feel like he accomplished something today. The entire past week, he lay in bed and would only walk if he needed to go to the bathroom or shower. When he wanted to get up, Finch suggested brushing up on his linguistics and Reese obliged, but he still preferred to be up, out and about.

Getting his toes stubbed, stumbling into furniture, knocking things over, and nearly walking into a wall; Reese was extenuated and a tad sore. Who knew it would take so much energy to amble about in the dark? To add insult to injury, he only managed to clear half the house.

The rest would have to be done on another day.

"I thought you might feel worn out, why don't we go back to the room so you can lie down?"

Reese groaned.

"Come, now Mr. Reese. I know you're tired, but consider this the last for today and possibly tomorrow if you still tired."

Reluctantly, Reese walked towards Finch (with Finch's noisy help to his location) and onwards to the daunting task of walking to his room. Luckily for Reese, the trip back held little trouble, now that he knew more or less the locations of the objects that reside.

Once inside Reese room, Finch let him stand near the door while he went to lift the covers. Once done, Finch led Reese to the bed.

"Thank you, Finch" Reese said sleepy. He felt even more tired and sleepy now that he lay on the warm bed.

"You're welcome, Mr. Reese" Finch helped Reese cover up, and left the room with the door slightly ajar.

**~POI~**

Today had been a tough one for Finch. As happy as he was for helping Reese, his hip and neck weren't. The taller, heavier man had a firm grip and sometimes the grip was too strong that it caused Finch to recoil from the pain. His hips screamed in pain from walking too long, having the extra weight, and not having enough breaks for him to rest his bum leg.

He left Reese to sleep, making a mental note to wake him up for dinner, not before making sure there were new numbers. Luckily for both of them 'The Machine' had been merciful on them, but Finch knew that this vacation (if he could even call it that) would only last for a short while, and a number would come up eventually. 

Finch decided to relax for a while, making himself a cup of tea and moving to the living room to sit with a book. For a short while his mind was into his book, but it wandered off to Reese's condition. True to Megan's word, there was very little research on Cortical Blindness, and whatever it had was just not enough to satisfy the billionaire. Just a week and he was losing faith.

Finch quickly shook the thought away. No. Reese wanted to try and get his vision back, and Finch will be damned if he crumbled that faith. Reese had given him faith when they started this, now Finch will give him faith. These will a long and hard road ahead of them, but they were both ready to face it. Together.

**~POI~**

A month had passed, and Reese had a pretty good layout of the house. He's able to walk around without help, though Finch was more at ease if someone was with the ex-CIA whenever he wasn't around. Not that Reese would do something dangerous in his condition, but it was more of support for the taller man. Fusco was more than willing to help keep an eye on Reese and tell stories of his son and hockey games, but Carter was a bit reluctant at first. This was not the Reese she knew, but she made an effort to help as much as she could, and she would bring Taylor along knowing full well how much both wanted to talk to each other. Luckily for them Taylor seemed to understand that Reese needed some support and understand how much the ex-op was important to all of them.

It's been rather difficult to show the taller man how much he is needed. In this condition it was rather hard for all of them. Finch wanted to tell him even if he never gets his vision back he still needed him. That he loved him. But again he was afraid.

Finch sighed. How did he succumb to this? To fall in love with the very man he hired to save others. He never thought after losing Nathan and giving up Grace, he would meet someone again. It was going against the employee and employer policy. Against their line of work. Then again, they were no ordinary employer and employee, and this was no ordinary line of work. But alas, God must have a sick sense of humor. To fall in love with someone knowing full well on them both living on borrowed time that could end in a second.

He brushed those thoughts aside. Whether Reese loved him back or not, they both needed to focus on the task at hand. Tomorrow Dr. Tillman will come for a checkup, and from there they'll see from there what it can be done. Finch hoped that things will turn for the better, they have been careful with Reese' head and making sure he didn't do anything sudden, or accidentally hit himself.

The numbers kept coming, but the Machine seemed to know that Reese would be out for a while, since they weren't much trouble for the detectives to handle. Finch had wondered what he would have done if Reese didn't recruit them. Surely he would have gone back to the time he didn't have Reese. Helpless and alone, secretly dealing with the numbers and his list of failures ever growing. One day he would have to thank the three for taking such baggage from him. For helping him save or stop what they could.

**~POI~**

Dr. Megan Tillman walked up the steps and knocked on the door. She hoped John's condition has gotten better, and there would be no need for any tests. With her medical bag over her shoulder she took a deep breath and hoped for the best.

The door opened revealing Finch. "Dr. Tillman" Finch greeted, "good morning" he stepped aside to let the woman inside.

"Good Morning, Harold" the doctor greeted as she came inside. Finch told Reese's progress over the month as he escorted her to Reese's room. So far everything is going well, and have been very careful with Reese' head and had managed to keep him in time with medicine and rest.

Of course Reese would rest when Finch read to him, not that both men would tell the doctor. After a while of being in bed, Reese wanted to move around more, do something to ease his restlessness. When they found nothing could be done, Reese suggested for Finch to read to him. Reese immediately regretted the idea, saying that it was silly, having someone read to him. But Finch disagreed on the idea of reading out loud being silly, and agreed to read to the taller man. Both men had found the readings both comforting and relaxing. Reese loved how Finch read, and Finch loved how he gets to share some of his favorite books.

So yes, Reese did get his rest, and hopefully he was already healing the damage that was blocking his ability to perceive the sights of the world.

They found Reese sitting on the bed, waiting for them. He wore a loose fitting grey shirt and worn jeans, his eyes were bandaged and most of his bruises have healed (from what the shirt offered to see). Reese seemed to be doing well so far.

"Good morning, John" the doctor greeted as she placed her bag on the floor and took a seat next to the bed.

"Good morning, Megan" the taller man greeted back. Nervousness didn't even begin to describe what he was feeling. He wanted to know how much progress he had over the month, and if he was anywhere near getting his vision back.

"Well let's get started shall we?" Megan said as she looked over Reese. After checking making sure his bruises were gone, and his cuts and scrapes have healed, Megan began to take the bandages off Reese's head.

"Looks like the swelling has gone down" she looked, "tell me if it hurts" she carefully touched the area. It wasn't tender or swollen, but head injuries are hard to determine and take more time to heal.

"Does it hurt?" she asked when Reese didn't say anything. "Slightly" he said, even though he didn't want to admit it, it was better if she knew exactly how he felt rather than hide it.

"Okay, let's see your eyes now" she reached for her flashlight and lifted Reese's head. "Can you see?" she asked, Reese shook his head. "Any changes in vision, color?"Again Reese shook his head. Megan turned her flashlight on. His pupils constricted by the increased light, and dilated when the light went away.

Megan sighed, Reese may have recovered, but his vision has yet to come back.

"Good news is that you have recovered from your injuries"

"But?" Finch asked.

"But your vision is yet to recover. Your eyes react normally to light, but the fact that you can't see just confirms our suspicions. "

"Cortical Blindness"

"Yes"

"Is there anything that can be done, Dr. Tillman?" Finch asked, hoping.

"I'm not sure, but we can try a CAT scan and an MRI tomorrow"

"Thank You, Doctor."

"I'll arrange the appointments, and I'll call you to let you know at the times you can come in. And I'll make sure you'll be anonymous" she added the last part, knowing full well how these two liked their privacy.

"Thank you again."

"You're Welcome" She gathered her things and headed for the front door, Finch right behind her. Reese stayed where he was, taking in the new information. So much for keeping faith.

**~POI~**

Finch came right back to the room, knowing that he will find a distraught Reese. For a month they kept their hopes up, but only to have them crushed like this. Finch was now considering the possibility of hiring someone else to help with the numbers. He will have to look at his list and see who came close second. It was a long list and he will have to double check who is alive, able, and willing to do this work. This might take a while, but for now he needs to concentrate on Reese and do what he could for him. He may look for another working partner, but he will not leave Reese. They've gone too far and too long to leave each other.

"Mr. Reese"

"Yeah, Finch?"

"How are you feeling?" _Idiot!_ Finch thought to himself, _what do you think he is feeling right now?_

"Tired" Finch knew Reese was lying, but that is all he is going to get from him for today. Finch felt helpless, but all he could do now is leave Reese and wait for tomorrow.

"I'll leave you for now Mr. Reese, but I'll come and check on you in a couple of hours"

Nodding, Reese lied down on the bed. In truth he felt frustrated, sad, angry, and desperate. Why? Why did he even think his vision was coming back? All he wanted to do is sleep and forget about this, and wish for this to go away.

Finch left the room. Things have just gotten harder for both of them

**~POI~**

"Alright Mr. Randal, we're going to please ask you to sit in the wheelchair before going inside" a nurse said. 'Mr. Randal, an alias Finch had given for Reese, did as asked, but with a little help. Reese had changed from casual clothing to a hospital gown, and now had to be wheel chaired to the machines to determine what other possibility his eyesight could return.

Though, Reese didn't know why they should do any of this, or why Finch is still trying. Megan already told them: there is nothing more they can do. He damaged his brain and this is the cost he has to live with for now. Finch should just give up, like he has.

"Mr. Wren if you could please wait here, while Mr. Randal goes inside. We'll be out in about an hour" the nurse mentioned the visiting room, and took Reese inside. Finch knew the CAT scan would be quick, but the MRI would take longer, and for that he hoped Reese would be able to stay still long enough for the images to be recorded. Hopefully they had some Jazz music for Reese, he mused.

The man can't stay still for five seconds.

**~POI~**

"Well, it seems the brain is still swollen, slightly. The Meninges have healed and most of the blood has been cleared from your brain-matter. CSF seems to be under a bit of pressure but the swelling is probably to blame."

It had been two days since the tests, and Megan had come to the safe house to show the results. She's been showing the sight of the swelling to Finch. Reese was there with them, but decided to stay silent while they talked.

"Could it be the reason why John can't see?"

"I don't think so. There is some swelling, but John should have some of his eyesight back." the doctor said, while looking at the results again. "It's really a matter of time before we know whether or not he could ever see again." she continued. Finch nodded, this was really hard to take in. All this time about keeping faith seemed stupid now. Downright fucked up. Still, though, it seemed the only thing these two men kept going together in this borrowed life.

"Thank You, Doctor" Finch said. Megan gathered her things, while ordering Reese to continue his bed rest for a couple of weeks, and she'll come to check on him in a month's time.

While Finch escorted Megan out the door, Reese placed his elbows on the table, and his face on his hands. He's not surprised really; he knew the results will show what they already knew. At least he knew his way around the house, learning to be on his own would take some time, but it was doable. Finch can't stay with him forever; the Machine needed him to help with the numbers. He didn't worry about someone doing the legwork, Finch had a list of people he could go back again, and the detectives would be willing to help anyway they could as well.

He gave a wry laugh. He knew he was going out of this one way or another, but never like this. Even if he did stay to help, all he could do is give his two cents on whatever case they would be working on. Even that would not be enough for him. Not enough, but he will get what he can get. After all in this life he can't expect too much.

**~POI~**

"So, the doc can't do it either, huh?" Lionel said after he heard the news.

"No, she can't" Reese replied. Finch had gone to check on the new Number they had received that morning, and he had asked for the detective to keep Reese some company. Lionel agreed if he could bring his son along. While Finch reluctantly agreed, Reese didn't seem to mind having the boy around.

"What are you guys going to do now?"

"There's not we can do, Lionel. I can't help Finch; I'm just dead weight to him."

"You know he's not going to give up, buddy. You went through hell and back to get him, he'll do the same. And you're definitely not dead weight, John. You can still help Finch. Sure not like before, but you can still do something for him even without your eyesight."

"Since when did you get all wise, Lionel?"

"Since you got into my life."

Reese gave a short laugh. He was glad that Lionel decided to help him throughout and keep him company. Even more so that he kept him straight, making sure not to give up on himself. Now he was learning to strengthen his other senses.

"So who else did you bring, Lionel?"

"Now we're getting spidey senses? My son, Lee." Lionel laughed, he was glad that Reese was loosening up a little towards him, but that wasn't going to guarantee that he would be like this forever. Lionel called his son to the room, and introduced him to Reese.

"So Lee, your dad tells me that you like sports?" Reese asked the younger Fusco.

"Yeah!"

"Really? What sport do you like?" Reese laughed. Both immediately hit off with Reese about basketball and Lee about hockey. Lionel sat there admiring the interaction between the two, but after a while he excused himself to make something for all of them to eat.

After a good meal, and a couple more hours of talk of sports, Lionel asked his son for some privacy. Lee left after being promised by Reese that they could talk later, and that there were games in the entertainment.

"You did a good job raising him, Lionel. Given the circumstances."

"Thanks, but I still don't trust you with my kid."

Reese laughed. Still, it was good thing Reese had picked Lionel. It gave him a second chance to become the man his son could look up to.

"So what is going on between you and Mr. Glasses?"

"There is nothing between us, Lionel."

"Why not? You know you love him, and he loves you, so what's holding you back?"

Reese began to confide in Lionel. Not normally what the ex-op would do, but Lionel has proven himself to be a great asset and a very good friend, someone he could rely on. Lionel just sat and listened, when Reese finished, he told the taller that he should just tell Finch and not wait any further.

Reese sighed, though he did feel some weight come off, he was still worried. Maybe he was asking too much of Finch. He already knew Finch was not going to leave him, and he'll do whatever he can to help with the Numbers, but asking for his love was a whole different thing. Asking for something that could either influence or ruin the friendship both men had.

**~POI~**

A couple more weeks passed and Reese had made full recovery, well somewhat full. But he recovered enough for no more bed rest and he could get out of the safe house. Once more Finch had to ask Lionel to come and keep Reese some company, a new number had come up and it needed him in the field. Again, Lionel agreed and brought Lee along, knowing full well his son would want to talk to Reese about sports.

In the midst of the talk Reese excused himself, saying something of getting medicine and he only knew where they were.

Going to the medicine cabinet, Reese took his medicine out. Finch had slightly changed the bottles to make it easier for Reese to get them by adding a little noticeable bump on each of the bottles. Since he was currently taking three, he only took two out. Taking the prescribed amount for each, he swallowed them.

He then got himself a cup of water to make sure they had gone down; Reese heard a car door slam outside. Could it be Finch coming? No, he heard three more doors close. Maybe they're the neighbors.

No, they were coming towards here. To the safe house. Wait, nobody knew where Reese was. They had made sure of it to be discreet as possible. Who could it be who was after them? They were plenty of enemies but none seemed to have the resources to figure out their safe house.

Reese ran out of the kitchen, "Lionel, when you came here did anyone follow you?"

"No. Why?"

"Someone knows we're here. I think they are after me."

"What? Who?" Lionel immediately got up, and placed his son behind him. Dammit! If that were true then they were trapped with nowhere to hide his son. He looked outside and sure enough four masked men were walking towards the house.

"Shit! What are we going to do?" he asked.

"Lee, come with me. Lionel do you have your weapon with you?" Lee immediately went to Reese.

"No. Dammit, I should have brought it with me!"

"It's fine, follow me" Reese led them to his room, he got on his knees and took out a small case from under the bed, "Here" he said to the detective. Lionel opened the case and found a gun inside.

"In case of an emergency" Reese said. The taller man then pulled Lee to the closet. He pushed some clothes aside to reveal a hidden door.

"Lee, listen to me. There's a small hidden room behind this door, I want you and your father –"

"The hell I'm hiding and leaving you alone to deal with them."

"Lionel we don't have time to -"

"Lee, go hide and don't come out until John or I come and get you. Got it?"

"But dad -"

"Lee go!" The boy reluctantly went through the hidden door, this was not time to argue with his father, and the bad guys were most likely in the house. Reese quickly closed the door and pulled the clothes to hide the small door, and closed the closet.

"You should have gone with your son" Reese said

"And let you have all the fun? No thanks" Lionel made sure the gun was loaded, and went ahead of Reese.

"Got a plan?" Lionel whispered. Reese shook his head, "take 'em out." he said.

Of course, no plan. Take them out and hope for the best.

Seeing the first masked man, Lionel quickly shot at him. Sensing someone behind him, Reese turned and aimed his fist at the man who dared think of coming at him.

**~POI~**

The sun was setting when Finch had come to the house. After dealing with their latest number, Finch wanted nothing more then to drink a cup of tea and go to sleep. His hip and back were killing him and a nice hot bubble bath sounded pretty good right about now.

Upon getting closer to home, he noticed something strange about the house. For starters the front gate was open. Finch thought the young boy merely forgot to close the gate. Getting to the front door, he noticed it to be slightly ajar, and it seemed someone picked the lock. Nonetheless, he continued inside.

Opening the door, Finch eyes widen. The whole place was a mess, and Reese and the Fuscos were nowhere in sight.

"Mr. Reese? Detective Fusco? Lee?" Finch called out. When no one answered, a cold shiver ran down Finch's spine. 'Oh no' he thought, 'who could have known we were here?'

Finch quickly looked all over the house. He found Lionel on the unconscious on the kitchen floor, but Reese and Lee where still missing.

"Detective Fusco. Detective Fusco" he kneeled beside the unconscious man. After he called the detective a few more times, Lionel began to stir.

"Oh God, what – Oh, no. John! Lee!" He quickly got up, but immediately regretted that decision. His head was killing him, and his body was sore.

"Detective, I'm here" Finch tried to ease his friend's temporary pain.

"Finch? What the hell you're doing here?!"

"I think you might want to tell me what happened, Detective."

"I have to see if my son is safe, first" Screw headache, he needed to find out if Reese's hideout kept his son safe. Lionel quickly got up and ran to the room, with Finch following closely.

Lionel opened the small door and called out for his son.

"Lee? Lee?"

"Dad?"

"Oh Thank God you're safe. You can get out now, they're gone."

Lee got out slowly, still scared from earlier events. Though oblivious to the events unfolding outside, much of the noise was still heard and Lee quickly tried to shut the noise away while trying to keep silent.

"Detective Fusco what happened here?" Lionel straighten up, and looked at Finch.

"Reese went to get his meds, when it happened. He heard car doors close, and I saw a few masked men coming towards the house. We hid Lee, and tried to fight them off, but one of them landed a surprise on me and I passed out. We didn't know who it was, but it was obvious they were after Reese."

Lionel held his son close, the poor boy was crying. Finch just stood there. Who could have done this? Who knew Reese was here? How did they follow them? Where did they take him? Too many questions swarmed his head, but the objective was clear: Find out who took Reese, take them down, and get Reese back.

Finch's hand formed into a fist, damn it who could have done this? He'll have to search all through the house for clues, but luckily for him he had surveillance all over the outside of the home. For sure he'll find something there and be able to identify the people who took Reese.

"Hey" he heard the detective say, "We'll find him"

Finch nodded.

They'll find him, because if he don't, then – Finch couldn't finish the thought.

They have to find him, and make Reese's kidnappers pay.

**~POI~**


	6. Chapter 6

_Drip._

_Drip Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip._

Reese woke to the sound of water dripping. He opening his eyes only to remember his blindness, instead he tried to move around, slowly.

He couldn't move his arms, and his hands were tied above his head. His toes were barely touching the floor. He wondered 'Who had taken him? Where was he? What did they want from him? Who did he piss off this time? Were the Fusco's safe? Was Finch safe?' Thousands of questions ran through his mind.

_Relax._ He commanded his body. _Figure where you are and what they would want._ Yes, that would be best plan considering his current position. He knew Harold would probably be looking for him, and he will ask for extra help if he needed too. The best thing he can do is gather as much information about these people as he could. For all he knew it could be Elias's crew, HR, Russian mob, or some other random person he had managed to piss off. He could cross Root of the list, she's not interested in him, and rarely used henchmen to do any of her work.

The enemies he made hardly ever knew who he was or why he did what he did, so they could be easily manipulated and taken out. That narrowed it down to HR and Elias; both organizations had resources and allies everywhere.

The set-up wasn't Elias's style. He would rather talk to him face to face, and in a manner that could possibly be respect to the taller man (if he could call it that). Then again, Elias has done some pretty questionable actions.

HR was a bit harder to figure out. All he knew was they, like Elias, also wanted to control New York's organized crime and would do whatever they deemed necessary to obtain that goal.

The only way he could figure out which group it was responsible was to wait for the responsible party to return to his room. Wherever he was. Reese needed to narrow that down as well. He listened closely.

The water dripping could mean he was near a water source. He shook his chains that held him. By the sound of the echo, it could be in a warehouse. So that narrowed it down to the riverside, but there were still plenty of land to comb through. So a warehouse near the river, that's good. Now figuring out who had taken him and of what they wanted from him.

**~POI~**

"How do you plan on getting him back?" Lionel asked. Ever since Reese's kidnapping, Finch moved them to another location. They found that they had put a tracker on Fusco's car to find the first safe house, but by the looks of it, the tracker had been there for a while, perhaps right after they had arrested the arms dealer. The tracker was since destroyed but everyone was still on edge, the kidnapping fresh in Fusco's mind.

"Honestly, Detective, I have no idea" he said looking out the window, "the tracker is a simple model that can be found almost anywhere."

Lionel ran a hand through his curly hair and sighed. There wasn't anything he could do to help. Reese, though blind, he took his son's safety over his own, and in a way took the detective's safety over his semi-weakened state. He wanted to help any way he could, but how?

"I'll think of something, Detective. For now worry about your son. Right now he will need you more than ever" Finch looked over Lee, who was sitting in the couch with his arms wrapped around his legs. Fusco nodded and walked over to his young son.

"Hey, Champ, how you're doin'?"

"Okay, I guess" he didn't look up, but Fusco could see scared eyes. Poor kid must have heard everything.

"Hey, everything is going to be fine okay?"

"But they took John! Who knows what they are doing to him, Dad! We gotta help him!" Tears threatened to fall the young boy's eyes.

"I know, son, but first we need to make sure we're safe, otherwise we wouldn't be able to help. You got to be strong and help us too okay?"

Lee nodded. He'll do whatever he could to help. Lee's father nodded as well. "For now, go to bed. You can't help save John if you don't sleep" the young boy opened his mouth to protest, but he was interrupted by Finch.

"Your father is right, Lee. It's been a long day and you need your rest. Don't worry I'll try to find a clue as to who's taken him and where" he tried to soothe the young boy. Lee reluctantly let his father lead him to one of the rooms.

Once Fusco was able to put his son to bed, and made sure the windows were secured and the bedroom door half-way ajar, he went back to the kitchen, where Finch and his laptop temporarily reside.

"You should get some rest, too. Geniuses like you need their beauty sleep too." Fusco commented.

"Thank you for your concern, detective, but I'm fine." Finch kept looking at surveillance video for any additional clues.

"No you're not. You've been glued to that tracker and you laptop ever since we came to this house. You're not going to get your boyfriend back if you don't rest." Finch started to protest, "Don't tell me I don't know, Mr. Vocabulary. I can see it from a mile away in your's and Wonderboy's eyes."

Finch looked down and sighed. "That obvious?" Fusco nodded, "I'm surprised you two hadn't notice it yourselves, considering how much you two know about people."

"How do you know Mr. Reese shares these feelings detective?"

"He told me."

"He told you?"

"Not like he had any choice, I noticed it when I started babysitting him. When I confronted him about it, he told me. I told him to talk to you, but he seemed too hesitant about it."

"Why would he hesitate?"

"I don't know much about his past, like you and Carter do, but I think it has to do with the work he did before he met you. Something seemed to hold him back and probably worried about being rejected."

"You seem to know a lot about love, detective."

"Yeah, well, I've been around the block. The funny thing is that he told me the same thing too" Fusco laughed.

Finch said nothing. So Reese did share the same feelings, but didn't tell me because of what he did in the past? That's stupid! Reese was an extraordinary man with a compassionate heart. But he remembered the work he did for the CIA. _'Maybe that's why he never told me his feelings. He must think of himself as a monster unworthy of love'_ he thought sadly, _'But I'll show him that he is not a monster'_. With that he felt more determined to find Reese. He couldn't say he had the best past, but he had enough happiness, but this happiness he could have with Reese could not be passed up. He'll show Reese how much he is worthy of his love.

"You're right, Detective, it's late and I doubt I'll find anything right now" he turned his laptop off and safely stored it away.

Rest for tonight, and tomorrow continue their search for Reese.

**~POI~**

Reese woke again by the sound of the warehouse doors opening. It's been a couple of days, but a couple of men would come in to make sure he was alive. They barely gave him water, but no food. They wanted him weaker than he already is. He could hear footsteps coming closer to him.

"Hey, you! Wake Up!" one slapped him. Reese managed to withhold a hiss, he wouldn't show pain. Not in front of these thugs.

"Our boss wants to talk to you." the other said. Reese heard two more set of footsteps. One of the footsteps sounded confident, sure of oneself. ' _Probably the boss'_ , the taller man thought, now Reese could hear who was behind his kidnapping.

"So this is the one who made me loose thousands of dollars worth of merchandise." the voice was heard.

"Yes, sir. He was there when the exchange was taking place." The first one said.

"And made that mess in the warehouse, I assume."

"Yes, Mr. Quinn."

"Fool! Why did you mention the boss's name." the second one hit the face of the first man.

"It's alright." the boss, Quinn, said, "He won't live long enough to tell anyone. Now I want my money back, and since you were the one who made me lose it, you are going to pay me back every cent."

"What were you going to do with the guns?"

"Isn't it obvious? To take over organized crime. These gun's weren't registered anywhere, if they were used or lost, it wouldn't be traceable to anywhere and nobody to trace any of it back to me."

"So you were going to use this freedom to commit violence to take over the city? What about the civilians? The women and children?"

"If they are in crossfire, they will have to be necessary sacrifices to my cause."

"Necessary sacrifices? That's what you think of them? If you start a gang war, with innocents in the crossfire's then it wouldn't be organized crime. You'll just be like the rest: killers, monsters. If you kill them then there will be nothing to take over."

"How dare you speak to our boss like that, you bastard?!" the first man slapped him hard.

"Hmm, we'll see about that. For now, I want to ask one of my men about you." He heard the boss turn on his heels "Call him, tell him to come over here." he turned to one of his men.

Just who was Quinn be calling? Who could Reese have been involved with in this organization?

**~POI~**

Mornings were a bit easier in the new safe house. Though they struggled to sleep, they somehow managed to wake up fully charged to continue their search for Reese. Fusco managed to keep Lee for a few days more, while he himself went to work, but he would have rather be with his son and Finch for the time.

Finch was no closer to finding any clues and was getting frustrated. Fusco dared not to leave the safe house, time permitting, not while Finch and Lee were unguarded. Finch was at his laptop, while Lionel replaying the events in his head to see if he missed something.

The thoughts continued on till Fusco's phone rang. Finch stopped prying and Fusco checked at his phone's caller ID.

_Simmons._

Both men looked at each other. Fusco answered the phone at the third ring.

"Yeah?"

" _Fusco, Boss wants to talk to you"_

"Me? What for?"

" _Meet me at the address, 20 minutes."_ Simmons hung up. Fusco looked at the text and looked at Finch, unsure what to do.

"Go Detective. I'll call your partner, see if she can come over and look after us. Make sure your phone is on, so I can hear what they have to say."

Fusco couldn't protest or sit this one out. The last thing he wanted was to get his son in danger and involve them with HR. He got up from his chair and went to his room too change.

Reese tried not to groan in pain. Since once of Quinn's men had gone to retrieve one of their members, they had started to beat him, in an attempt to get information from him. Of course, Reese didn't tell them anything. There was nothing he _could_ tell them, with so many enemies, it was hard to determine what kind of information they wanted. Information he could easily manipulate to help his situation.

He was glad and able to take a breather when Quinn commanded them to stop.

"Ah here he is" Quinn said, "Detective Fusco, I presume?"

' _Fusco!'_ Reese thought, _'so I'm dealing with HR and this Quinn guy is the boss.'_ If he was right, this could be the same 'Quinn' Maxine was talking to when he had to protect her.

Fusco came in and looked at the man in front of him. ' _Reese!_ ' he looked shockingly at the sight, ' _he's all beaten up'_ he hoped Mr. Glasses was hearing this, but at the same time he was glad he was not here. Reese was all beaten up, his face swollen and bruises were starting to form around his torso. If there was a possibility to save him, he thought, without showing the alliance he had with him.

"Uh, yeah." he confirmed.

"Just the man I wanted to talk to. Tell me have you ever seen this man before?"

"Yes." he knew he couldn't lie, Simmons was right behind him, and if he said the wrong thing, he and Reese would both wound up dead.

"And have you had ever in one way or another helped him?"

"Yes."

"Why is that, Detective?"

"He threatened me, threatened my kid's life too. Said he would kill me if I didn't help him escape."

"Is that why you were seen with him, when some of my men went to get him?"

"Yes." _'I'm so sorry, John'_ he thought sadly, so much for saving him.

He looked at Reese; he tried to look at his eyes. But he was surprised to see understanding in them, instead of anger. As if Reese was telling him to continue on, to deny any allegiance with the taller man. _'Lie, Lionel. Save your ass. I'll be fine'_ he tried to tell the detective.

"I see." the boss said, "We'll since I can't get any more information out of this man, and it seems he was turning you against HR. It looks like I have no choice but to kill him."

"Wait, boss, don't you think it's a bit too much? I mean, he didn't succeed in turning me against you, I'm still loyal to you." Fusco tried to reason.

"He's a threat to the organization, Detective. And threats must be destroyed." he motioned his men to finish him off.

"Wait!" Fusco yelled, "Why don't I do it?"

"Why should we allow you to kill him, Lionel?" Simmons questioned.

"I thought it was the best way to show my loyalty to HR and I get to have some revenge for making my life a living hell." He immediately regretted those words but for his plan to work they needed to be said.

Quinn nodded thoughtfully. It seemed like a good idea. What best way to show loyalty and to kill the threat itself?

"Alight, kill him with this gun. Once you kill him, dispose of him and the gun." Simmons handed him the keys that locked Reese's hands above his head.

"Got it. Can I get some privacy? I don't need extra witnessed, denialabilty and all." he tried to be convincing about it. He was almost there, if they could just leave.

"Of course. I believe I have an appointment I can't afford to miss. It's a shame to kill you, sir. You could have been a great addition to the organization, but I cannot afford to hire someone like you. Let's leave Detective Fusco." he commanded his men. When they left, Fusco immediately tired to reach up to unlock, but Reese spoke for the first time he arrived.

"No, Lionel, wait" he said weakly.

"What? Why?"

"You need to shoot me first and let me bleed for a bit. If you don't then they'll think you went against them and come after you and your son."

"But you need help!"

"Just do it Lionel!" he yelled.

Fusco reluctantly got his gun out, "Okay where do you want me to shoot?"

"On my side, in the stomach, but make sure not to hit any vital organs" Fusco aimed at Reese's side and shot. Reese tried his hardest not to make any noise. For this to work out he needed to be 'dead'. He needed to bleed convincingly enough to make it seem as if he was dead.

"O- Oka- Okay." Reese whispered, but his voice could barely be heard; "Now you can get me down". Fusco didn't need to be told twice. He quickly unlocked, and carefully as he could, laid Reese down. Reese winced in pain again. His arms ached from being held above, and the blood rushed too quickly back into his arms.

"I'll be right back, Reese. Gotta make sure they're gone." Fusco ran to the side door of the warehouse and peeked outside.

Damn it.

Two of the guys remained; probably stayed to make sure Fusco wasn't lying and pull one on them. On the bright side, Simmons and Quinn were gone, so he could easily lie his way out and have them off his back. He returned to Reese and noticed he could barely stay awake and tried to keep his pain at a bare minimum.

"There's two guys outside. If I'm gonna save your ass, I gotta make it look like you're dead." Reese nodded. He was still bleeding so he's going to need something to absorb the blood. Fusco looked around, trying to find anything that can hold the bleeding and carry Reese into the car. He managed to find some plastic wrap and quickly wrapped Reese in it. Once done he called the men over. They put Reese in the trunk of Fusco's car. Fusco managed to talk them out and left the men to their own devices. Once out of sight of HR's men, Fusco quickly called Finch.

"Hey, I got him"

"Oh thank God. How is he?"

"Pretty bad. I had to shoot him to make it seem like I killed him. He's in my trunk right now."

"You have him where!!?"

"Hey, I had to make it look right!"

“…”

"Finch, Reese is in pretty bad shape, and he's going to need medical help. I know you guys don't like hospitals so where do you want me to take him?"

"I'll send you the address right now, detective." Fusco heard the end tone and beeping for the text.

"Okay" Fusco looked at the text sent, and pulled up in an alley. He got out, checked his vehicle for any trackers, and quickly opened the trunk.

"Ah shit" he looked at the scene in front of him. Reese had lost a lot more blood, and it seemed he wasn't moving at all. Fusco prayed he wasn't dead. He checked his pulse and sighed. Good, Wonderboy is still alive, but he needed to get to the safe house quickly.

"Hey, hey. C'mon let's get out of this trunk. Finch is waiting for you" he tried to get Reese up, but Reese had already passed out from blood loss and exhaustion. So Fusco awkwardly lifted Reese into the back seat of his car, carefully as he could and laid Reese down. Pulling the car out and driving fast but careful, mindful of Reese's condition, towards the address Finch had given him.

**~POI~**

Finch waited desperately with Doctor Madani. He tried to call Dr. Tillman but she was already too busy to leave. So Finch's second choice is the doctor of Najaf. A room was already set for him along with the possible medical supplies the doctor might need. Dr. Madani understood the need of discretion; these two men lived among others by being invisible. He didn't know what they did for a living, but he knew it must be important if the 'Man with Gasses' (or 'Mr. Finch' as he introduced himself) compensated him handsomely for assisting him again. He wasn't a greedy doctor, he didn't like to be bought, but the money he received the first time helped his family and managed to have enough to become a doctor here in the States. And Mr. Finch never asked him anything more than to save his injured friend. If anything, he felt as if he owed them, so when he was asked for assistance again he immediately agreed.

So when Finch heard a car come up the driveway of the new safe house, he immediately opened the door and ran to Reese's side. Finch new to expect a badly wounded Reese, but he couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped his lips.

It was worse than he imagined.

Reese's torso was covered in black and purple bruises, his handsome face was swollen, and the blood of the gunshot wound had already stopped, but not before soaking his back. He stayed in place, too shocked to even move. Dr. Madani, knowing that Finch was in shock, forcefully pushed Finch aside and asked the other man for assistance, he needed to save this man and standing still wouldn't help at all. Before Reese got inside the house Finch regained his composure and quickly ran inside to show the doctor to room he had set aside.

"Over here." he shouted, leading them to the dining room table, emptied of its contents that lay on top of the furniture in the den. Since Reese was still covered in the plastic, they used it to cover the table to it wouldn’t get stained and gotten some towels to absorb any blood that may fall and miss the plastic. Dr. Madani quickly went to work stopping the bleeding and closing the wound, and carefully cleaning the blood from Reese's body. After cleaning, he carefully checked his body for any broken bones

Unfortunately, Reese had three broken ribs, but thankfully enough there was no damage to the head. After finishing examining the ex-operative, they carefully cleaned him some more, put him in fresh clothes, and laid him to rest in one of the rooms.

"He has three broken ribs, and his jaw is very swollen along with his right eye. He was beaten pretty badly as well. He won't be eating solids for a couple of weeks. Luckily you have a good aim, sir" he motioned the detective, "you managed to miss vital organs, but he still lost a lot of blood. So these 24 hours will be most critical." he continued, "So you will need to watch for any changes and change the bandages every few hours. I would heavily suggest taking him to a hospital or hiring a nurse, but I know you like discretion. I would volunteer to stay, but I did not tell my co-workers how long I would take in returning to my shift, and I would not like a search party invading this house. So I'll suggest calling me if you need anything, anytime, Mr. Finch. You have my number."

"Thank you for everything, Doctor. Please expect to receive payment by the tomorrow."

"Thank You, Mr. Finch, but please next time; do not pay me. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have made it halfway through for my licensing and still have some money to send for my family. If you need any more help, please do not hesitate to call. Good luck" with that the good doctor left.

**~POI~**

Finch came back inside the room, just in time to see Fusco put a blanket on top of Reese, just above the shoulders. Why? Why him? Why Reese? Stupid question, he told himself. Of course Reese would get hurt. Of course Reese would make a lot of enemies. Of course Reese would become a wanted man. After all Finch is the one who hired the ex-CIA Agent for such task. He needed a face for the mission, one that everyone would concentrate on while Finch still operated on the side. But it still didn't remove the hurt and the guilt that dwell in his heart.

Fusco looked at Reese. Reese could have easily said that he had Fusco working for him, but instead he opted for the detective to save his own sorry ass. Because of Reese he was able to see Lee for another day. He promised himself not to complain the next time they called in. Well not as much.

He then looked at Finch. As much as he could, he couldn't find any words to comfort the boss. But it wouldn't hurt to try.

"He'll be fine, Finch. You know the guy. He will be up and about before you know it!"

"But he was just starting to heal. We were positive his vision was coming back, despite what the doctor's said. He was lucky to come out of that one, detective. If this continues, he'll just get hurt worse. What if the next one is his last?"

"Don't worry about that now. Right now he needs you, and the best way to do it is being positive and supportive."

"Yes, you're right. Thank you, detective."

"There is nothing to thank me for."

"Why is that, Detective?"

"Because I think I just put him in more danger?"

"We'll deal with them later. Now we know who the boss is, and if we can get enough information then we'll be able to put him and the rest of HR behind bars. You saved John from being killed."

Lionel said nothing. He was glad that he was able to get Reese out of that horrible place, away from those men.

All of a sudden he felt his energy drained away. After the adrenaline rush of getting him out of there, and the house surgery he (unwillingly) participated in, he felt exhausted. Too tired even to check on his own son to see how he was holding up.

"Go ahead and rest. Lee tried to wait up for you, but I suggested to him it would be best if he had something else to entertain himself rather than see John in the condition that he was brought in."

"Thanks"

"He's in the third door on the right, in case you wanted to see him."

"Thanks" he checked on his son, but luckily for both of them he was sleeping. So Lionel went to his room and took a hot shower to soothe his muscles and relieve the stress. He checked his son again, still sleeping, and went to bed himself.

**~POI~**

Finch continued his vigil all throughout the night. He was also tired and exhausted, but he couldn't afford to keep his eyes of Reese, not when his condition is this critical. Then realization hit like a ton of bricks fell on him.

He almost lost him.

He almost the man he loved. He never told him how he felt about him and he almost missed his chance as well. Not again, he promised. If Reese wakes up, _when_ he wakes up, he will tell him. He knew how Reese felt about him, but he wanted to hear it from the man himself.

He heard what happened on the warehouse, but as gut wrenching it was to hear the gunshot, he was relieved to have happened. He might give a Detective a handsome gift for helping him so much. He didn't have to save him, he could have let them shoot Reese and be over with, but instead the detective opted to save him, and for that Finch was eternally grateful.

Now all he could do was wait for Reese to regain consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, please?


	7. Intermission

_Reese didn't know where he was._

_He was in a white empty space. No matter where he called or whom he called, the only response was an echo of his own words. He had already tried walking but it seemed he wasn't getting anywhere. Just the same white empty space that seemed to go on forever. If he could speculate how long he was here it was a good few hours._

_He didn't even know if he was dead or alive. But for some reason he wasn't afraid, he was calm and peaceful. And finding nothing else to do, he kept on walking. He kept walking and walking, until he got frustrated._

" _Is there anybody here!? Anyone!? I've been walking for God- knows how long and -" "John" he stopped his rant. Wait, he knew that voice._

' _Jessica?' He thought. He looked around, but found nothing._

" _John" the voice called again._

" _Jessica!" he called out. He looked around wildly, until he noticed a figure in the far distance. Reese ran to the figure. But he didn't seem to gain any distance, seeing how the figure never got closer._

" _John" the voiced seemed to tease him. Over and Over it called his name, teasing him ever more._

_Reese stopped. He wasn't getting any closer, and the voice was now teasing him instead of reassuring him._

" _John" a woman's voice was heard behind him. John whipped around and saw the woman he never thought he would see again._

" _Jessica" he whispered, tears started to form and threatened to fall._

" _John" Jessica whispered back, she lifted her hand. Reese did the same, they neared towards each other, but Reese's hand went through Jessica. Reese gasped and looked at his ex-girlfriend._

" _Oh John" she looked at him, a tear fell. She stepped closer, and hugged the man she loved. Reese tried to do the same but, again his arms went through._

" _It's alright, John."_

" _No, it's not, Jessica. I'm dead and I can't touch you."_

" _No, John. You're not dead, you're still alive"_

" _Alive?"_

" _Yes, that's why you can't touch me, but I can touch you."_

" _I don't understand. Where am I?"_

" _Purgatory? Limbo? Who knows?"_

" _Why are you here, Jess?"_

" _I came to see you."_

" _See me? Why? You asked me once to stay, but I still left. If I hadn't you would have still been alive."_

" _Oh John. You did what you thought it was right. I made a choice to marry Peter. You're not at fault"_

" _But I still shouldn't have left you. I should have said those words back at the airport."_

" _John" she cupped Reese's face, "it's not your fault."_

" _I still should have come when you reached out to me."_

" _You would have been too late, John. Peter killed me as soon as I had finished calling you."_

_Reese's hand formed a fist and his knuckles whitened._

" _But if you didn't come when you did, Peter might have gotten away scot-free at least he got what he deserved. "_

" _I still should have tried." he kept saying._

" _John, if you hadn't done what you did, you wouldn't have met Harold, or Lionel, or Joss." she said firmly._

" _You know about them?"_

" _Yes, I have been watching over you all this time. I have to say you did a good job straightening out that detective. And you showed Joss their are more sides than she had ever known about. Lionel would still be compliant with HR, and eventually arrested, and lose all privileges with his son. If you hadn't been where you were, Taylor would be without his mother. If you weren't in New York, Harold would never have found you, he would be struggling to trust people, and be constantly looking over his shoulder. And he would never have found someone he would fall in love again."_

" _So you know about Harold and I"_

_Jessica nodded, with a smile. She was glad John have found someone he would love again._

" _I'm sorry" he looked down._

" _For what? For moving on?" Reese nodded._

" _John, I wanted you to move on. I still do. I know you still love me, but I also know you love Harold, and he loves you. John, please don't let this chance pass up. I'm not asking you to forget about me, I'm asking you to move on."_

" _How can I, Jess? With the things that I have done, and the people I have killed, who would love a monster?"_

_If Jess could slap the man in front of her, she could. But there is only so much contact she is able to do._

" _John!" she yelled at him. Reese looked at her with wide eyes, and immediately stood straight up. If she wasn't scolding him, his reaction would have been funny._

" _You're not a monster. You did what you were ordered to do. You did what anyone would have done. Harold knows that, and he is still willing to be with you, regardless of what you did."_

" _Do you really think he wants to be with me?"_

" _Of course. He loves you just as much I have loved you. He worries every time he sent you out. And wishes for you to see him, and hold him."_

_Reese looked down and smiled, she sounds like those romantic stories._

" _I know I do, but it's the truth." Reese looked up, how did she –._

" _Know? I can read your thoughts. Nothing is hidden here" she smiled._

" _So you really think him and me?"_

" _I'll be honest, John. I think you two look absolutely adorable together" Reese blushed._

" _My time here is almost done, and so is yours." she said all of a sudden._

" _What? What do you mean?" he asked nervously. This is the first time he has seen the woman who first stole his heart in over two years, he didn't want it to end._

" _It's time to go back, John. Harold is waiting for you." Jessica's figure was starting to fade._

" _Wait! Will I ever see you again?" he asked her._

" _Yes. But not yet. Just remember John: I am always watching over you, and I will always love you"_

" _I love you too always" he said. Before the darkness consumed him there was one person in his mind 'Harold, I'm coming home'._

**~POI~**

Reese woke on a comfortable place, he thought. He was still aching and in pain, but all that can be dealt later. Right now he wanted to know if Harold was safe.

"Ha- Ha-Rold, Harold." he weakly called out. He felt the bed stir. His arm was aching but he tried his best to move with his hand to feel who was there with him. He felt a familiar hand over his. He tried to wrap his hand round the other and gave it a gentle squeeze. The bed stirred again.

"Harold." he called again. He felt the extra weight on the bed lift, and he called Finch again.

"John?" Finch's voice was heard.

"Harold" he felt relieved that his boss was safe, "Where am I?"

"John!" Reese felt his hand squeeze, "It's alight. You're safe. We're in another safe house. Here" Finch gave a couple of ice chips to Reese, who gratefully took them.

"How do you feel?" Reese could hear the concern in his voice, just how long has he been out?

"In pain. Harold -"

"It's alright, John. Rest for now. You can ask everything later, but for now sleep."

Reese nodded, and gave a deep sigh, before letting the darkness take over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I needed to do something with an unconscious Reese, so this came up. We’re almost there guys. Just a couple chapters and loose ends to tie up and it’ll be over and done.
> 
> Thanks for sticking this long guys. Hugs all around!
> 
> Oh and please don’t forget to comment. They're plot bunny food for Mark and Kara.

**Author's Note:**

> A plot bunny named Mark Snow threw this at me :B.


End file.
